After the midday rush ended, Mai Ge smiled and politely declined the customer's request to enter the restaurant. He flipped the sign on the door and looked at Amy, who was holding the Ugly Duckling and scratching its back, with a big smile on her face.
"Daddy, when does Little Amy go to class at noon?" Amy asked Mai Ge with anticipation. Her father seemed a little different today, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Master Crassus said you can arrive before 2 PM. Amy, take a nap before going to class." Mai Ge smiled and walked over, patting Amy's head.
"Mmm." Amy squinted and rubbed against Mai Ge's hand, looking just like a kitten. The Ugly Duckling in her arms was also rubbing against her little hand in the same way.
"Boss, if you're too busy in the morning, perhaps… I can take Amy to school." Yabemia, who was wiping the table, turned to Mai Ge and said, her eyes full of sincerity.
"This…" Mai Ge pondered. Just as Yabemia said, the morning was indeed a bit rushed. It would take about half an hour to take Amy to class, and putting the tofu pudding in the pot first would affect the taste to some extent.
"But Sister Mia, can you ride a bicycle?" Amy looked up at Mia and asked earnestly.
"Huh?" Mia paused for a moment, glancing towards the counter. That thing with two little wheels would tip over if left there. Only a genius like Boss Mai could make such a thing and then control it perfectly.
"I can't." Mia shook her head.
"If we walk, it will take a long time, and Amy will have to get up even earlier, but… I want to sleep in a little longer tomorrow…" Amy looked at Yabemia with some hesitation.
"I… I can learn. I can learn how to ride a bicycle." Yabemia hesitated for a moment, then looked at Mai Ge with determined eyes and said, "Boss, please teach me how to ride a bicycle!"
"Okay, okay!" Amy clapped her hands and looked up at Mai Ge, saying, "Daddy, please teach Sister Mia how to ride a bicycle, so she can take me to school on the bicycle."
"Well, that's not impossible, but…" Mai Ge nodded. Yabemia clearly wanted to help him with some of the work, but riding a bicycle is not easy to learn, especially for Yabemia who had just seen a bicycle for the first time. "Riding a bicycle is not easy to learn. It's not something you can master in a short time. You're likely to fall at first."
"It's okay, I'm not afraid of pain." Yabemia shook her head, her eyes filled with determination.
"Alright, Daddy, please teach Sister Mia." Amy also pleaded, shaking Mai Ge's hand.
"Alright, I'll teach Mia when I have some free time." Mai Ge smiled and patted Amy's head. These two little ones were really impossible to handle. After a pause, he added, "But I have something to do at noon. I'll take Amy to school and then go to the job agency. The restaurant still needs to hire another employee."
"So... are we going to hire another pretty sister?" Amy's eyes lit up, looking at Mai Ge with curiosity.
"Boss, I..." Yabemia lowered her head slightly, her expression a little self-reproachful. She seemed so useless, unable to even do these jobs well.
"Mia, you've done a great job. No waiter can do it better than you." Mai Ge looked at Yabemia and shook his head with a smile. "But if you take on everything by yourself, it will seem too rushed. You won't even be able to give the guests a proper smile. You'll be running around the restaurant like a whirlwind. That's not what I intended. You'll be too tired, and the guests will feel uncomfortable."
"I understand, Boss." Yabemia nodded thoughtfully, saying nothing more.
"So what kind of big sister should we be looking for?" Amy asked Mai Ge with great curiosity.
"Ideally, we should find someone as capable as Mia." Mai Ge said with a smile.
"Meow!" The Ugly Duckling looked up and meowed, trying to get Amy's attention, seemingly sensing that its status was about to decline again...
Amy slept on the counter for a while. When it was almost time, Mai Ge woke her up, pushed his bicycle out the door, and Amy climbed on by grabbing the back seat herself. She turned around and waved to the Ugly Duckling sitting by the door, saying, "Ugly Duckling, come here."
"Meow meow~~" The Ugly Duckling looked at the basket in front of the bicycle, shook its head, and looked resistant.
"Forget it, it gets carsick. It's better to let it stay home." Mai Ge glanced back at the Ugly Duckling, smiled, and climbed into the bicycle from the front, turning his head to ask, "Are you settled?"
"Mmm, takeoff!" Amy nodded happily, spreading her little arms and shouting joyfully.
Mai Ge smiled, pushed off with his foot, and the bicycle shot off like an arrow.
After his physical fitness level improved, Mai Ge felt that every kick was powerful and his speed increased significantly, and he was able to maintain that speed to keep running forward.
Such a stylish two-wheeled vehicle, speeding by, still attracted a lot of attention.
"Is this the latest low-altitude flight magic?"
"Probably. With wheels, it looks pretty cool."
Passersby analyzed the scene with insightful observations.
"It's faster than a carriage!"
"Two!"
"Three!"
"Daddy is so awesome!"
Amy happily spread her arms and shouted, showing no fear at the speed. On the contrary, she seemed quite excited, wishing Mai Ge would go even faster.
The bicycle stopped at the school gate. Before Mai Ge could speak, Amy nimbly jumped off, shook her head at him, and said, "Daddy, you don't need to go in. I can find my classroom myself. Goodbye."
"Okay, goodbye. Be a good student and study magic diligently." Mai Ge nodded with a smile and gave her some advice. The little one had been running around the Chaos City since she was little, so she could run off to play with other children on her first day of class. There was no need to worry about her not finding a place to attend class.
"Okay, I will." Amy waved and walked towards the school. When she passed the gatekeeper, she greeted the old man and the orc: "Hello, Grandpa Carrot and Uncle Red-haired Turtle."
The two people who had just raised their hands were left standing there with stiff smiles and confused expressions.
Mai Ge covered his face. This little one really never misses an opportunity to give others a nickname.
However, Mai Ge glanced at the old man dressed in white shorts, whose hair had almost all fallen out at the edges, leaving only a stubble in the middle, and the orc standing to the side with short dark red hair, carrying a black shield that looked like a turtle shell. This nickname... was rather fitting?
"Grandpa Carrot?"
"Uncle Red-haired Turtle?"
The two men at the doorway exchanged a glance, their expressions turning strange.